Crimes of child sexual exploitation in England - A socio-legal project promoting effective approaches to investigation and prosecution.

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The 2012 national inquiry into child sexual exploitation (CSE) in gangs and groups by the Office of the Children's Commissioner for England reported 2409 'confirmed victims' of child sexual exploitation in either gangs or groups during the 14-month period from August 2010 to October 2011 and further 16,500 children as at risk of CSE between April 2010 and March 2011 (Berelowitz et al, 2012: 53). The high profile investigations, such as Operation Retriever (Derby), Operation Span (Rochdale), Operation Bullfinch (Oxford), Operation Chalice (Telford), Operation Central (Rotherham) Operation Sanctuary (Newcastle) since 2009 have resulted in prosecutions, however the number of prosecutions are not proportionate to the number of cases being reported to safeguarding agencies.This project builds on the learning developed through research carried out for the fellow's PhD exploring attrition in cases involving crimes of CSE. Attrition refers to the process where cases get dropped at various stages of the criminal justice system (CJS). The fellow's thesis developed a nuanced understanding of how attrition occurs in these cases particularly during investigation and prosecution charging stages and highlighted areas within policy and practice that require critical reflection. The thesis highlighted that the forms in which sexual exploitation and children victimised through sexual exploitation are understood, and the tools used for assessing children's risk and their support needs play a significant role in constituting the conditions in which attrition occurs. The thesis drew attention to the ways in which disruption of perpetrators through civil injunctions has come to be recognised as an effective solution to the problem of attrition and the ways in which policy and practitioner discourses have contributed to undermining the value of prosecutions as a strategy for tackling crimes of CSE and subsequently lead to the de-prioritisation of prosecutions. It further highlighted the role of law in constituting the conditions for attrition i.e. through setting the boundaries and prohibitions that limit the recognition of children's experiences as abuse. The thesis addressed a significant gap in literature examining the process of attrition in cases involving crimes of child sexual exploitation. This postdoctoral fellowship aims to disseminate the findings from PhD thesis and thus makes a significant contribution to the development of policy and practice relevant to CSE.This fellowship aims to take the learning developed through fellow's doctoral thesis to a wider audience through publication of research findings and through engaging with key stakeholders. Firstly, it will work to develop a user-friendly guide for practitioners who are working in the area of CSE such as police officers involved in specialist teams, child and public protection units, child abuse units; social care workers; health and education teams; young people and family support workers within the voluntary sector; as well as those involved in supporting victims and witnesses. Secondly, it will publicise shorter pieces targeted at service providers, policy makers and general public through relevant media channels, presentations at practitioners forums (such as those facilitated by the National Working Group for Sexually Exploited Children), journal articles, conferences and seminars. Finally, this project also aims to develop a research bid for examining the role of victims in the post-trial process as well as the ways in which parole boards and probation services can address the needs of victims in the management of those convicted of CSE crimes. Overall, this postdoctoral fellowship aims to take academic learning developed through analysis of policy and empirical data to a wider audience to further effect practice relating to CSE. This project thus bridges a significant gap between academic research and practice in the investigation and prosecution of crimes of CSE.